South Messenger - July 24th, 2022

www.columbusmessenger.com July 24, 2022 - SOUTH MESSENGER - PAGE 9
SURVIVOR
Continued from page 8
at me. I then fired several more rounds at him as he
ran to the cornfield. He did fire one more shot.”
Another sergeant arrived and kept watch on the
cornfield. Guiler heard Kendall yelling and moving and
could not believe she was still alive. Groveport Police
Officer Danny Amabile arrived on scene and the two
used a cruiser as a barricade to get to Collins.
“She rolled over from her side and said, ‘Will you do
me a favor and get my hair out of my face?’ I couldn’t
believe she was still able to communicate with us and
I did move her hair out of her face,” said Guiler, who
moved Kendall to a safe place. “She had to be moved
because the medics would not respond directly to her
because the scene was still active and we did not know
his location or if he was still a threat. As I sat her
down in the grass, I could see was losing a lot for blood
from her leg. Franklin County deputies were able to
escort the medics to her now that she was in a safe
place. They then took Kendall and were able to stabilize
her until they reached the hospital.”
Guiler said several agencies responded to the scene,
including Hilliard’s K-9 unit which helped locate
Collins’ former husband in the cornfield. He was found
dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On the way to the hospital, as one of Collins’ lungs
started to collapse, she prayed to stay alive and
breathe. She said she made a silent pledge to God that
if she lived, she would tell everyone He saved her life
and had given her a purpose.
She was in a medically induced coma for 18 days
and spent three months in the hospital. She then spent
three months in a rehabilitation facility learning how
to walk again.
“I had to learn how to talk, walk, write and all basic
things all over again,” said Collins. “It was a long
process. I was very lucky to have my current husband
Seth there with me every day. He helped keep me motivated
when I felt like giving up. Seth stayed with me
through everything. He has been my rock. Life has not
been easy for us, but we have made it together.”
For women experiencing domestic abuse, Collins
urges them to leave before the situation escalates.
“It will get worse,” Collins said. “Lean on your faith
and family, but get away from the abuser. Abusers do
not change. They only get worse when they lose that
control. Protect yourself and your children. A restraining
order is only a piece of paper.”
For help 24 hours a day, seven days a week, call the
National Domestic Abuse Hotline, 1-800-799-7233
(SAFE); LSS Choices Crisis Line, 614-224-4663
(HOME); or the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, 1-
800-934-9840.
Emergency training
Photo courtesy of Madison Township Fire Department
On June 15, the Madison Township Fire Department participated in a multi-agency training exercise at
Rickenbacker International Airport that simulated a mass casualty event. Crews practiced medical evacuation,
emergency triage, aircraft fire suppression, and many more important skills. Over 140 volunteers
acted as victims with injuries in varying degrees of severity. The agencies involved included the Madison
Township Fire Department, Rickenbacker Fire Department, Ohio National Guard, Columbus Regional
Airport Authority Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Box 15, American Red Cross, Franklin County
EMA & Homeland Security, Franklin County & Columbus Public Health, Air Evac, and COTA. “The exercise
was a great success,” said Madison Township Fire Chief Derek Robinson. “It was well organized and all of
the participating entities worked well together. A special thank you to the Madison Township Fire
Department crews that handled the EMS sector of the event and to Assistant Chief Adams for his many
hours of preparing and helping organize the event.”